Monday, December 31, 2012

Leave it to the folks at Disney to ring in the New Year by giving away a vacation every day during the month of January! There are 5 vacation packages to choose from...so pick wisely.Enter DAILY Here for your chance to win a Disney Parks vacation, now through January 31st!

I love shoes...and am waiting for my finances to catch up with my desire for more. Last night I finally gave in to a store that has been calling me for the past 3 years.It's located right next to ROSS clothing store, which I usually love to visit. Every time I've gone to browse through the aisles at ROSS I see this store and it beckons to me. I resist.Not because I don't want to see what goodies are within...but because I might find something that it would kill me to leave behind.Tonight, I gave in.I was in search of a new pair of boots...and I had been let down at 4 previous stores.Let's just say that I found what I was looking for...and more!For instance, these weren't my size, but LOOK! Aren't they gorgeous?! I call them Chandelier Heals. Only $22.50! Can you believe it?!

They look like something straight out of Old Hollywood. (I love Old Hollywood)So, if you have a db shoes near you and you haven't ventured in...VENTURE!

Or you could do your browsing in their online store.The shoes are gorgeous designer shoes and the prices are amazing!Back to what came in for. They are having a HUGE Boot Sale!!I wanted these so badly.

The problem is that I suffer from large calves...even at my thinnest in college.Ah well...I spotted "Italy" and got over it. (sort of)

My boots were $79.99...on clearance for $19.99!

I can't wait to wear them tomorrow!And look...wool lined! How happy will my feet be? Very happy indeed.

And I also got a pair of boots for each of my girls...$39.99 reg., $20.00 Sale Price!

Sunday, December 30, 2012

I ventured out to the mall today (yes, I am brave) strictly to get out of the house...I was going stir crazy.There were plenty of sales but this one at Gymboree truly caught my attention.Everything that had been previously reduced was now...

Since Christmas Eve my little kiddles have been plagued with nose bleeds at least once every day. It comes hand in hand with living in the High Sierras and cold weather, but come on! I need a break from the frantic screams and panic that come with each bleed!

My little Rose gave me a bit of a scare yesterday. Okay, in all honesty I was ready to race her through the doors of our Urgent Care demanding immediate attention. NEVER had I seen so much blood come pouring out of my child! I honestly didn't think that it was possible for a nose to bleed so much...and for so long! Turns out once I calmed down and remembered that I could Google for my answer everything came back into normalcy...with the help of Charming.

I was in the bathroom with Rose, who was panic stricken, and yelling orders for him to do searches for answers before packing her up to head to the Urgent Care. One of the most touching things though was the fact that my Grace went into her room and returned with a book to read to her little sister while I followed my hubby's directions. She even made facial expressions for the different characters to make her little sister laugh. Then 30 minutes after our ordeal began, it was over.

One of the key things I learned was that the first thing my mother used to have me do is exactly what Dr. Oz instructs not to do. See #4 for this one. My mom always meant well, and for me it was never a real problem other than having to make several trips to the sink to get the blood out of my mouth.

So, in an effort to help other mommies out there in the case of such an "emergency", I am passing along the information that I have now committed to memory. It really wasn't very hard.

In The Case Of A Nose Bleed

1.) Mommy, STAY CALM! No matter how much blood you see draining out of your child's nose (and/or mouth), do not panic. When they see their super heroine mommy going into a panic it triggers mass hysteria in the patient.

2.) Talk calmly and reassure the little bleeder that they are not going to die. There is more than enough blood in their body.

3.) Grab a tissue and pinch their little nostrils together, firmly.

4.) DO NOT tilt their head back or have them lay down! This could cause them to choke on or inhale their blood...not the solution to the problem. In fact, this could cause a whole other scenario making it necessary to visit the nearest urgent care/ER.

5.) Apply pressure just under their nose and above their upper lip. If they will allow it, even better to apply pressure underneath the upper lip, right in the center, against the gum line. There is a main vein that runs there and in doing this you can cut off its flow, allowing time for the bleed to stop.

6.) Wrap an ice cube in a paper towel and use it to apply pressure as described in step 5. This will also help to slow the blood flow.

#4, 5 & 6 should be done for 5-15 minutes. If the bleeding persists, repeat for an additional 5-10 minutes. If it still persists then you should contact a 24 hr. nurse line or make your way to the nearest urgent care/ER.

7.) Wrap an ice cube in a paper towel and apply just above the bridge of their nose, between the eyes.(A tip that my Auntie gave me. She suffered from bleeds throughout her adolescence.)

8.) Remove the blood clot from their nostril(s). Reapply pressure for 5 minutes to insure that the bleeding stops completely. The clot needs to be removed gently so that the source of the bleed can fully heal. If not removed, it can all begin again.This is the part I have trouble with.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Let's face it, every little temptation out there thrives for the holidays. It's the time of year that is guaranteed for mass consumption of everything naughty. Cookies, cakes, candies, chocolates (my weakness), pies, nuts and flat out over indulgence of our favorite family recipes all add up to bloating, the scale climbing, jeans not zipping (or worse, not buttoning), guilt, tummy aches...you name it.Well, I've decided that I'm going to start the New Year off with a much healthier mindset and game plan. For starters, this year I am not going to be making high fat or high sugar appetizers for our nosh-fest while waiting to ring in the New Year. I've scoured the internet and have come up with some amazing recipes links for my family (and all of you) to enjoy!

I love discovering new books by other mom bloggers and of course, free prizes! Please help to celebrate the launch of “Real Moms Love to Eat: How to Conduct a Love Affair with Food, Lose Weight and Feel Fabulous” (New American Library, a Penguin Books Imprint, January, 2012) by author, Beth Aldrich, Certified Health Counselor.

"The blueprint for eating pleasurably, healthfully, and practically—while also feeding your family every day. What’s not to love?"

~ Christine Northrup, M.D.

"Aldrich has talent, she possesses pure genius in her no-nonsense attitude towards food. Why should a busy working mother or woman have to give up her favorite foods to gain a healthy lifestyle? She shouldn’t, and Aldrich makes that quite clear in her book."

~ TheSavingsMomma.com

The book is broken down in three sections, which include a fun and easy-to-follow 10-part plan for moms to implement to make gradual, life-long changes in their approach to food and 21 days of meal suggestions, tips, recipes and lifestyle changes—all to help you continue your love affair with food to look fabulous. Beth’s approach to healthy eating is simple and realistic for busy moms. You’ll learn a lot about the food you eat and how it impacts your body and still have loads of fun experiencing new foods and enjoying your life.

This book is exactly the tool that I was looking for...a way to make some simple alterations to my life (and my family's) to get back on track to a healthy lifestyle. My daughters are extremely picky (as a lot of youngsters are) and are in need of more veggies and less processed foods in their diets. And let's face it, when it comes to kids and eating healthy we all need an army of tricks and knowledge to battle those processed food cravings. She has a ridiculously good "No-Bake Brownies" recipe! (healthy & sweeeeet)

Photo Courtesy of RealMomsLoveToEat.com

About Author Beth Aldrich:
﻿﻿Beth Aldrich is a Certified Health Counselor, Healthy Lifestyle and Nutrition Expert, engaging speaker, media personality and author of the book, Real Moms Love to Eat: How to Conduct a Love Affair with Food and Still Look Fabulous (New American Library, a member of the Penguin Group (USA), January 3, 2012); she delivers health, nutrition and balanced living fundamentals through keynote addresses, presentations, lectures and as a media spokesperson. As a health and nutrition columnist for Diet.com, SocialMoms.com, HotMomsClub.com and RealMomsLovetoEat.com, Beth shares her wisdom, experience and knowledge about health and nutrition topics. From food coaching, and living a balanced life to, the energetics of food and finding your passion, Beth delivers her message in a charismatic and inspiring way.

"Beth Aldrich has written a very good primer to help you begin to make your diet an ally, not an enemy in today’s time-compressed world. " ~Dr. Barry Sears, author of the Zone Diet books

"Hot moms everywhere will love this book. It's easy to follow, has great recipes and will make you laugh--out loud!" ~ Jessica Denay, Founder of Hot Moms Club, author of the Hot Moms Handbook series

On to the Giveaway!Everyone that participates in this “virtual pre-order launch party” is eligible for randomly drawn prizes. Simply enter the twice-a-month pre-order book giveaway, hosted by the RealMomsLovetoEat.com site here: RealMomsLoveToEat.com

You can pre-order the book for one entry AND sign up for Beth’s FREE newsletter for a second entry!

Winners from this virtual book pre-order party will be chosen on January 3, 2012 through random.org and contacted via email.

Disclosure: I was gifted from Restoring Essence Nutrition, LLC-owner of Real Moms Love to Eat, a free digital copy of the book, “Real Moms Love to Eat” and an entry into the prize drawing on January 3,2012, for participating in this virtual tour and writing about this book pre-order contest.